Blog

Meet Dean Saltus, the Assistant Manager of our Christiansburg store. Dean is a quiet, easy-going gentleman. There are a lot of ways to describe Dean, but perhaps Dennis Washington said it best with his famous quotation, “He’s like a quiet strength. He’s a strong man, when you get him, you get his best.”  Dean is originally from Connecticut, but moved to Virginia in his early twenties.  Because of working with his father, as a home builder and contractor, Dean centered his talent on technical drawing. Early in his career, he became well-skilled and was able to design and build his own home.  He established roots in Floyd county and remains a certified Contractor in the state of Virginia.

Not too long after arriving in Virginia, Dean interviewed with Keith Horne at Ideal Cabinets in Christiansburg.  Keith put Dean to work doing installations and carpentry work. Dean worked in Ideal’s shop department for seven years before going back to home construction with his Dad.  Dean kept his relationship with Ideal strong and continued to do subcontractor work for them.  After several years had passed, Dean’s father decided to finally retire.  While Keith and Dean were having a conversation about a job, Keith turned the conversation and asked Dean, “Why don’t you come back full time and do sales? ” And that is how it happened that Dean came full circle and now works in the showroom as a Salesman and Designer.  With Dean’s continued growth with the company, he soon became Assistant Manager.

Today, Dean remains in Floyd County with his wife, Lori. They enjoy spending time together with their family, two sons, two daughters, and three grandchildren. Dean loves being a grandpa. Who would have thought that growing older could be so sweet ?  Probably not Dean, because as young person his passion was BMX racing.  He’s tamed that down to ride the four wheelers with the kids and grandchildren now. Dean enjoys watching NASCAR.  His favorite drivers are Martin Truex and Tony Stewart.  Fun Fact:  Dean went to school with Greg Zipadelli, and his younger brother, Scott Zipadelli.  Scott was in Dean’s first wedding.

Dean also loves fishing,kayaking, and donating time to his church.  He specifically helps in the sound department and helps organize events.  Dean is a family man through and through.  His family is his whole world. He loves the feeling of family, whether it is his family at home, his church family, or his family at work.  Dean puts his heart into making family his top priority.

As for his Ideal family, Dean says he feels like he never left, and like he has always been a part of Ideal Cabinets, even with those years in the middle when he was subcontracting as an installer. He has always been involved in some way with Ideal, and he counts it as a privilege to have been a part of the Ideal family for twenty-six years.

His two favorite things about working at Ideal are seeing how happy clients are with our work when a job is finished, and the feeling of family we have at Ideal. When asked what he thought the Secret to his Successful Career was, Dean said.” Providing my customer’s the service they expect from start to finish, I am there and involved in the project and make sure I am visible. They know I care and that I want the job done right.  I am always honest with them, so they know what to expect.”

When asked what he would like to see for the future of Ideal, he said. “I would like to see continued growth, and I would like to continue the great programs that we have here.  Overall in the profession, I would like to get young people excited about this field and about the craftsmanship that we have here.  We need more tradesmen who appreciate what we do and know how special it is.”

Dean has a heart for business, and truly puts his best into each job. “Gentle words, quiet words, are after all the most powerful words.” – Washington Gladden